Don’t know what to read or where to direct your tween in the library? Then, revisit these classic middle-grade books. These books have enchanted children for decades and are great to read aloud together. Make it a summer goal to read one or more of the books, then watch the movie version. Bonus: Many of these books are also available as graphic novels.
Happy summer reading!
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
Winner of the 1963 Newberry Medal, this classic begins on a dark and stormy night.
Out of this wild night, a strange visitor comes to the Murry house and beckons Meg, her brother Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin O’Keefe on a most dangerous and extraordinary adventure—one that will threaten their lives and our universe.
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Anne Shirley, an eleven-year-old orphan, has arrived at an old-fashioned farm outside the town of Avonlea, only to discover that the Cuthberts—elderly Matthew and his stern sister, Marilla—want to adopt a boy, not a feisty redheaded girl. But before they can send her back, Anne—who simply must have more scope for her imagination and a real home—wins them over completely. A much-loved classic that explores all the vulnerability, expectations, and dreams of a child growing up.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Book 1 in the Chronicles of Narnia.
Lucy is the first to find the secret of the wardrobe in the professor’s mysterious old house. At first, her brothers and sister don’t believe her when she tells of her visit to the land of Narnia. But soon Edmund, then Peter, and Susan step through the wardrobe themselves. In Narnia, they find a country buried under the evil enchantment of the White Witch. When they meet the Lion Aslan, they realize they’ve been called to a great adventure and bravely join the battle to free Narnia from the Witch’s sinister spell.
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Jess Aarons has been practicing all summer so he can be the fastest runner in the fifth grade. And he almost is until the new girl in school, Leslie Burke, outpaces him. The two become fast friends and spend most days in the woods behind Leslie’s house, where they invent an enchanted land called Terabithia. One morning, Leslie goes to Terabithia without Jess, and a tragedy occurs. It will take the love of his family and the strength that Leslie has given him for Jess to be able to deal with his grief.